LGBTBE in the Spotlight: Social Driver

December 10, 2015 - 4:18pm | By Andy DiAntonio

Social Driver, led by business partners and husbands Thomas Sanchez and Anthony Shop, is a marketing agency that uses social-fueled strategies to drive next-generation results. Social Driver works with leading corporations and nonprofit organizations to connect with their audiences online through social media campaigns, websites, and data visualizations. Social Driver serves major clients across the country and around the globe and was named the 7th fastest growing marketing agency in the United States by Agency 100.

Social Driver has maintained NGLCC certification as an LGBT Business Enterprise for four years. They have leveraged certification to take advantage of world-class education opportunities including an NGLCC Scholarship to the Building A High-Performing Minority Business Executive Education training program at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business. Additionally, Social Driver was a participant in the Accenture Diverse Supplier Development Program through the NGLCC Mentorship Program. The Accenture Diverse Supplier Development Program recognized Social Driver as the fastest-growing company in the protégé class. Social Driver also maintains NMSDC certification.

Along with their wealth of knowledge and in-depth corporate experience, Social Driver maintains a serious commitment to working with other LGBT and diverse-owned business enterprises. Through their B2B work, Social Driver serves as a partner, subcontractor, vendor, buyer, and mentor to other LGBTBEs and certified diverse firms. When accepting the 2015 NGLCC Supplier of the Year Award, Thomas Sanchez referenced this commitment in his remarks saying, "As small business people, the owners, the employees, we all work really hard every day. Its hard work and we are working to create opportunities in our cities, to create opportunities for other LGBT companies, and to create opportunities for our team."

In 2013 Anthony Shop joined the NGLCC Certification Committee as a volunteer and has regularly participated in the NGLCC Supplier Mentorship Program. In 2015, NGLCC’s Procurement Council selected Thomas Sanchez to serve on its Supplier Committee, furthering their mentorship role within the LGBT business community.

Social Driver actively engages with and supports the greater minority business community and has done so through multiple organizations and initiatives. Social Driver has provided pro bono social media and digital marketing training for roughly three-dozen area nonprofits, with a focus on those serving youth and entrepreneurs. Social Driver stands out as a business that has achieved remarkable success and has done so with the utmost integrity, respect for clients and employees, and focus on the LGBT community.